Tuesday’s All Progressive Congress Interim Exco/ Stakeholder meeting witnessed such high drama which seems to spell the end for Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
The meeting kicked off with a reminder from the house to the Interim Party Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, that he will not be contesting the Chairmanship seat at the Convention following the zoning of the seat to the South-South and South-East region by the governors and leaders, who themselves are now opposed to Tinubu’s high-handedness. Akande was told that the zoning is binding on the party and must be adhered to. This, Ilese News Extra was told was to curtail the excesses of Asiwaju Tinubu who had always wanted Akande to continue in the position.
The agenda of the meeting moved next to the ward, LG and State congresses held across all the states.
The congresses were analysed one after the other according to its merit and demerits. It then got to Ogun State. At this juncture, the only member of the National Exco from Ogun State, Chief Yemi Sanusi stood up to present the situation that played out in Ogun State during the congress. He told those seated that the Ope Salami committee sent to the state to conduct the congress was a sham, in his exact words, he called it a “Kangaroo Committee”. It was at this point that Governor Ibikunle Amosun stood up and went berserk, shouting and asking Sanusi to shut his mouth up. Amosun to the bewilderment of those seated continued with the shouting and disorderly behaviour. Everyone at the meeting was just looking at the Ogun State Governor in amazement, Amosun went on to ask Sanusi who he (Sanusi) thinks he is, it was at this point Sanusi replied him by saying he was the only National Ex-Officio from Ogun State and by right, the only person who can speak on behalf on the state regarding the conduct of the congress.
Those few supporters Amosun came with had the look of people shocked by the governor’s animalistic outburst at Sanusi, in a meeting of that magnitude with the calibre of those seated. Amosun then called on the party secretary Tumsah and one Shuaibu to say something and call Sanusi to order. Ilese News Extra learnt today that these two men, Tumsah and Shuaibu are both beneficiaries of Jeep vehicles by the Ogun State Governor. Tumsah looked away as Amosun beckoned on him to speak. The governors and all those seated were so surprised and looked at Amosun with a disgusting look. It was Senator Ngige who got up to remind Amosun that his behaviour was not gubernatorial in anyway, shape or form. At this point, Tinubu was just looking at Chief Akande. Immediately Amosun sensed the mood in the room, he immediately told the meeting that he was leaving as he had to go and receive the Former President of Mexico, Vincente Fox who is in Nigeria to attend the Ogun State investment forum, following a payment of $125,000.00 paid to him to give a speech on Agriculture and development. Governor Raji Fashola then laughed, asking the Ogun State Governor if the Mexican man was more important than his political party, Fashola wondered why someone from the Ogun State Protocol/Special Duties team could not attend to such issues on his behalf. The Governor of Zamfara then asked the meeting to continue and that Amosun should be allowed to carry what he called his ‘kaya’ and ‘wahala’ away. Asiwaju Tinubu asked them to call Governor Amosun back but Amosun had angrily left mumbling to himself that he does not need any leader in his state to get what he wants since he was the one expected to bring out money from the state coffers to prosecute the general elections in February 2015, that regardless of anything they say, he would have is way.
After Amosun left, it was the turn of Governor Adams Oshiomhole. The Edo State governor started by apologizing to all seated for the negative press created by Edo APC following the congress held in the state. Oshiomhole said he realised that he made a big mistake, that he now realises that to win an election, all parties and groups must unite and work as one. Oshiomhole told those seated that a tree can never make a forest and that he regretted the way Governor Amosun reacted and that he hopes those close to him will advise him. He said he had advised Amosun long ago to change his tactics otherwise it will only lead him to a path of destruction, he said he never listens and that he knows of three other APC governors who said they have also advised Amosun. Oshiomhole said Amosun was lucky to have a leader like Chief Osoba who is known to mind is business unlike Annenih in his own home state of Edo, who wants to dictate to him even when they belonged to different parties and whom he had series of clashes with. Oshiomhole said if Chief Osoba complains, something definitely has to be wrong with Amosun’s conduct, he told the meeting that Osoba is not a man he should fight for any reason whatsoever especially having given him the ticket in 2011 considering what Amosun did to him in 2003. The meeting clapped extensively for Governor Oshiomhole who then took his seat.
As Oshiomhole took his seat, somebody in the audience quipped that Amosun was Tinubu’s boy but Tinubu quickly replied that he was not a father to any errant son and that he has warned them all that the APC is not the Old ACN. After all the states have presented their positions following the congresses held, the meeting agreed to send Elders Committee to all those states who still had issues after the conclusion of congresses, that the elders committee will go with a view to reconcile all the erring groups in those trouble states. The meeting agreed that failure on the part of the elders committee will lead the party to install State Caretaker Committees to oversee the affairs of such a state, that discipline will henceforth be enshrined within the party. The meeting then moved to the issue of zoning and National convention.
Tinubu nominated Alhaji Kawu Baraje as chairman of convention planning party but it was unanimously turned down by all, this was not because Baraje was bad but more because they wanted to cut Tinubu to size. The Governors and leaders then nominated and adopted Governor Wamakko of Sokoto with Senator Ngige to act as secretary, both against Tinubu’s wish. It was clear from today’s meeting that power had indeed changed hands. The convention date was then fixed for the 13 & 14th June 2014 in Abuja which was also against Tinubu’s wish to hold it in Lagos.
Chief Bisi Akande was careful throughout the meeting having seen the way Ikimi rough handled Tinubu last week. Akande whispered to Tinubu to steer clear of Ogun State if he does not want his fingers totally burnt. He told him that supporting Amosun over Osoba will only lead to disaster in the state as things have reached the point where party members in the state will turn their back on Tinubu, should he continue to push his agenda. It was at this point that Senator Ali Modu Sheriff moved his head closer to the two men and asked Tinubu why he thinks all his ‘boys’, referring to the governors, have since left him for the exception of Oyo and Ogun State governors. He said fayemi has since distanced himself from Tinubu following information that Tinubu is secretly funding Opeyemi Bamidele in Ekiti State, since he Tinubu believes the state is tilting towards the PDP and wanting to invest on Bamidele’s popularity to beat Fayose. He reminded him how Otunba Niyi Adebayo had also distanced himself from Tinubu following the latter’s insistence to become Vice President in a Muslim/Muslim ticket. He reminded him that even Rauf Aregbesola who was his man from his time as Lagos State governor was beside the Ooni of Ife when the Ooni replied Tinubu’s ‘Useless Obas’ rant, that it is clear that Aregbesola may now be sitting on the fence at best. Fashola he said was also looking for payback following his disagreement over Tinubu’s choice of Akinwunmi Ambode as next APC candidate in Lagos State. Ali Modu asked Tinubu if he still wanted to leave the party, he reminded him to take Ajumobi and Amosun along with him since no one will miss them in the APC. Tinubu joked that even if he would leave the party, that he won’t be taking along those ‘bad boys’, referring to Ajumobi and Amosun.
The meeting ended with Prayers said.
Catherine Ogbue reporting for Ilese News Extra
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